Business Support Services

Very often, foreign nationals who are looking for business support services immediately consider long-established international firms, for example the ‘Big Four´ of Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers. However, although they may not have the international backing of global firms, many Czech law and accountancy firms are equally professional and reputable. Lawyers and accountants are generally trained to a high standard, and finding a professional who speaks English shouldn´t be difficult. Younger lawyers will almost certainly be fluent in the language, and a good many will speak another language too. The situation is basically the same for accountants/auditors/tax advisers. However, as with lawyers, while older professionals will likely speak another language it may not be English.

It´s often the case that international companies operating here will still tend to use the services of a large, international law firm such as Clifford Chance or Linklaters. Clients see these companies as having a solid reputation and a presence on the international scene that the local firm may not have. But if you are looking for legal advice bear in mind that choosing a local firm can have definite advantages too, and over the last few years Czech law firms have developed the range of services that they offer. Another advantage of a Czech firm is that it can offer you with advice at a competitive rate and at the same time provide the same level of quality as an international firm.

When choosing a company you have a number of options to consider. Firstly, word of mouth and the personal recommendation of others in business circles can be a good way of finding a company. You may want to choose a firm based in own country and which has representation here; companies from the EU nations and the US operate in the Czech Republic, so contacting the commercial section from the relevant embassy may be a good idea. Another option is to contact the Czech Bar Association (Česká advokatní komora). This body is the professional association of lawyers in the Czech Republic and like similar organisations elswhere, is concerned with ensuring that professional standards are maintained. It acts as a regulatory body to ensure standards and quality. The Association has a database of individual lawyers as well as firms, and it also gives details of specialisations of firms and lawyers. Thirdly, there are the usual sources, such as the internet or the Yellow Pages (Zlaté stranky), although you have no way of gauging the quality of the firms listed or in some cases the actual services provided by a lawyer or law firm, in the latter.

If you´ve ever had to fill out a Czech tax return (daňové přiznáni) you´ll know that getting somebody else to act on your behalf in accounting matters is a good idea. And at some stage you´ll need to use the services of an accountant, auditor or tax adviser anyway. The accountancy profession is not regulated in the Czech Republic, although it has a professional body, the Union of Accountants (Svaz učetních), and a reputable accountant will have a government licence as evidence of competence. In contrast, the auditing and tax advice sectors are regulated and there are also separate professional bodies representing them; the Chamber of Auditors of the Czech Republic (Komora auditorů ČR) and the Chamber of Tax Advisers of the Czech Republic (Komora daňových poradců ČR).